Automatic document analysis filtering, and matching system

ABSTRACT

Methods, systems, and apparatus for automatically obtaining tax documents. The system includes a taxpayer client device and a server configured to automatically identify tax return items associated with the taxpayer by analyzing a prior year tax return. The server is configured to generate a list of tax return items including the automatically identified tax return items. The server is configured to receive, from the taxpayer client device, authentication data for a third party database. The server is configured to access the third party database using the authentication data. The server is configured to receive a document from the third party database and automatically determine whether the document corresponds to a tax return item from the list of tax return items. The server is configured to automatically store the document when the document corresponds to one of the tax return items from the list of tax return items.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

This specification relates to a system and a method for automaticallyaccessing, analyzing, and storing documents from a server.

2. Description of the Related Art

A certified public accountant may be hired by a taxpayer to prepare andfile tax returns on the taxpayer's behalf. Conventionally, thesetaxpayers collect various tax related documents throughout the year andgive them to their tax preparer at one time, when the tax return filingdeadline approaches. The transmission of tax documents from the taxpayerclient to the tax preparer may be conducted either using physical papersor electronically via a graphical user interface provided by the taxpreparer.

However, this approach has many drawbacks. The taxpayer may not promptlyprovide tax documents to the tax preparer. The taxpayer may beover-inclusive in providing documents to the tax preparer, and maymistakenly include documents unrelated to the preparation of the taxreturn. Alternatively, the taxpayer may be under-inclusive in providingdocuments to the tax preparer, and mistakenly leave out tax documentsrequired for preparing the tax return. The tax preparer may spendvaluable time and resources in order to sort through the variousdocuments provided by the taxpayer.

SUMMARY

What is described is a method for automatically obtaining tax documents.The method includes automatically identifying, by a server, one or moretax return items associated with the taxpayer by analyzing a prior yeartax return. The method also includes generating, by the server, a listof tax return items associated with the taxpayer, the list of tax returnitems including the automatically identified one or more tax returnitems associated with the taxpayer, and each tax return item from thelist of tax return items having a corresponding tax document to be usedto prepare a tax return for the taxpayer. The method also includesreceiving, by the server from a taxpayer client device, userauthentication information for the taxpayer for a third party database.The method also includes accessing, by the server, the third partydatabase using the user authentication information for the taxpayer. Themethod also includes receiving, by the server, a document from the thirdparty database. The method also includes automatically determining, bythe server, whether the document corresponds to one of the tax returnitems from the list of tax return items associated with the taxpayer.The method also includes automatically storing, by the server, thedocument when the document corresponds to one of the tax return itemsfrom the list of tax return items associated with the taxpayer.

Also described is a system for automatically obtaining tax documents.The system includes a taxpayer client device configured to provide aprior year tax return. The system also includes a server. The server isconfigured to receive, from the taxpayer client device, the prior yeartax return. The server is also configured to automatically identify oneor more tax return items associated with the taxpayer by analyzing theprior year tax return. The server is also configured to generate a listof tax return items associated with the taxpayer, the list of tax returnitems including the automatically identified one or more tax returnitems associated with the taxpayer, and each account from the list oftax return items having a corresponding tax document to be used toprepare a tax return for the taxpayer. The server is also configured toreceive, from the taxpayer client device, user authenticationinformation for the taxpayer for a third party database. The server isalso configured to access the third party database using the userauthentication information for the taxpayer. The server is alsoconfigured to receive a document from the third party database. Theserver is also configured to automatically determine whether thedocument corresponds to one of the tax return items from the list of taxreturn items associated with the taxpayer. The server is also configuredto automatically store the document when the document corresponds to oneof the tax return items from the list of tax return items associatedwith the taxpayer.

Also described is a server of a system for automatically obtaining taxdocuments. The server includes a memory configured to store a prior yeartax return received from a taxpayer client device. The server alsoincludes a processor. The processor is configured to automaticallyidentify one or more tax return items associated with the taxpayer byanalyzing the prior year tax return. The processor is also configured togenerate a list of tax return items associated with the taxpayer, thelist of tax return items including the automatically identified one ormore tax return items associated with the taxpayer, and each tax returnitem from the list of tax return items having a corresponding taxdocument to be used to prepare a tax return for the taxpayer. Theprocessor is also configured to receive, from the taxpayer clientdevice, user authentication information for the taxpayer for a thirdparty database. The processor is also configured to access the thirdparty database using the user authentication information for thetaxpayer. The processor is also configured to receive a document fromthe third party database. The processor is also configured toautomatically determine whether the document corresponds to one of thetax return items from the list of tax return items associated with thetaxpayer. The processor is also configured to automatically store thedocument when the document corresponds to one of the tax return itemsfrom the list of tax return items associated with the taxpayer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other systems, methods, features, and advantages of the presentinvention will be apparent to one skilled in the art upon examination ofthe following figures and detailed description. Component parts shown inthe drawings are not necessarily to scale, and may be exaggerated tobetter illustrate the important features of the present invention.

FIGS. 1A-1B illustrate an example situation using the system, accordingto an aspect of the invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a flow diagram of a process of the system, accordingto various embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates a process of the system illustrating a reduction oftime spent by the taxpayer in responding to the tax preparer informationrequests, according to an aspect of the invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates features of software associated with the system,according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5A illustrates a process of the taxpayer and the tax preparerduring the tax year, according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5B illustrates a process of the tax preparer during the tax returnpreparation time, according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example system, according to an embodiment of theinvention.

FIGS. 7A-7C illustrate a flow diagram of a process of automaticallyretrieving tax data from a third party server, according to anembodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 8A-8C illustrate a flow diagram of a process performed by thesystem, according to an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Disclosed herein are systems, vehicles, and methods for automaticallyassembling, gathering, processing, and storing tax documents.Conventionally, taxpayers collect various tax related documentsthroughout the year and give them to their tax preparer at one time,when the tax return filing deadline approaches. The transmission of taxdocuments from the taxpayer client to the tax preparer may be conductedeither using physical papers or electronically via a graphical userinterface provided by the tax preparer.

However, these various tax documents may be misplaced or misclassifiedby either the taxpayer or the tax preparer. In addition, the tax returnfiling deadline is a common deadline for many taxpayers, so the taxpreparer may be inundated with countless tax related documents fromvarious taxpayer clients. Further, if a relationship between a taxpayerclient and a tax preparer is terminated, the taxpayer client may nothave access to the tax related documents the taxpayer client previouslyprovided to the tax preparer, and significant efforts on the part of thetaxpayer client may be required to obtain and provide those tax relateddocuments to a new tax preparer.

The systems and methods described herein allow taxpayer clients tosecurely provide tax documents to a system periodically throughout theyear, and the tax documents are owned by the taxpayer client, who isable to access them at any time. When the tax preparer is ready to beginworking on the tax return for the taxpayer, the tax preparer can accessthe stored tax documents. This is an improvement over conventionalsystems, which rely on the taxpayer client and/or the tax preparer tokeep track of paper and/or digital copies of tax documents throughoutthe year. In some situations, taxpayer clients do not provide taxdocuments to their tax preparer continuously throughout the year, as thetax preparer may lose track of the tax documents, and it may beburdensome for the tax preparer to classify and file away each taxdocument for their numerous clients. In other situations, taxpayerclients do continuously provide tax documents to their tax preparer, butit is burdensome to the tax preparer to maintain and organize thevarious documents from their various taxpaying clients. Both situationsresult in the potential for errors and inaccuracy when preparing taxdocuments. In addition, in conventional systems, if the taxpayer clientdecides to hire a different tax preparer, re-obtaining the tax documentsfrom the original tax preparer may be difficult.

The systems and methods described herein also allow the tax preparer toavoid being inundated with tax documents at an inconvenient time as thetax return filing deadline imminently approaches. In addition, taxpayerclients typically submit all documents to the tax preparer at once, andother documents, such as signed engagement letters and completedquestionnaires may be held by the taxpayer client until the taxpayerclient is ready to send all of the gathered documents. This holding ofdocuments may create further delays for the tax preparer and thecompanies the tax preparer works for in receiving information and signedagreements, such as engagement letters.

The software associated with the automated tax document assembly,gathering, processing, and storage system may be denoted in the figuresas TaxCaddy.

FIG. 1A illustrates an example scenario for the system. The taxpayer 102is an individual who will have a tax return prepared by the tax preparer108. The taxpayer 102 has a client device 104, which may be asmartphone, a personal computer, or other computing device. The taxpayer102 may use the client device 104 to access and interact with a server.The client device 104 may be configured to display a graphical userinterface to facilitate receiving data from the taxpayer 102 anddisplaying data to the taxpayer 102. The data may include informationinput by the taxpayer 102 in response to a questionnaire provided by thetax preparer 108, or may be a tax document. The tax document may beprovided by the taxpayer 102 using a camera or scanner of the clientdevice 104. The camera or scanner of the client device 104 is configuredto detect image data representing the tax document 106.

The tax preparer 108 may use a client device 110 to access and interactwith the server. The client device 110 may be configured to display agraphical user interface to facilitate interactions with the taxpreparer 108.

In some embodiments, the tax preparer 108 communicates a connectionrequest to the taxpayer 102. The connection request communication may befacilitated using the respective graphical user interfaces provided bythe client devices 104 and 110. The taxpayer 102 may accept theconnection request from the tax preparer 108 (step 112). In someembodiments, once the connection request is accepted by the taxpayer102, the tax preparer 108 is able to view any tax related documents orinformation associated with the taxpayer 102.

The tax preparer 108 communicates a request to the taxpayer 102 fordocuments, such as signed engagement letters and taxpayer questionnaires(step 114). The taxpayer 102 may provide the corresponding materials inresponse to the request using the graphical user interface provided bythe client device 104. In some embodiments, a prior year tax return ofthe taxpayer 102 is automatically analyzed by the system and a list oftax return items are detected. A tax return item may be any income,expense, deduction, or credit associated with the taxpayer 102. In someembodiments, the prior year tax return is provided by a tax returnpreparation system. In some embodiments, the data of the prior year taxreturn is provided by the tax return preparation system, and the systemmay not need to analyze the prior year tax return to determine the listof tax return items.

The list of tax return items may be displayed by the graphical userinterface on the taxpayer client device 104. The displayed list of taxreturn items may serve as a checklist for the taxpayer 102 when thetaxpayer 102 is gathering documents for the taxpayer's tax return. Forexample, the taxpayer's prior year tax return may indicate the taxpayer102 had three tax return items: a brokerage account from Brokerage A, aninterest bearing savings account from Bank B, and a mortgage with LenderC. For the current year's tax return, if these accounts are stillactive, a tax document corresponding with each of these tax return itemsshould be provided to the system in order to prepare the tax return.

The taxpayer 102 may upload tax documents using the client device 104,as described herein (step 116). The uploaded tax documents may besecurely stored by the server. One or more security measures may betaken in order to improve the security of the tax document, such asencryption or password protection. Once the taxpayer 102 uploads the taxdocuments to the server, the tax preparer 108 is able to view or copythe tax documents, provided the taxpayer 102 has granted access to thetax preparer 108.

As illustrated in FIG. 1B, the relationship between the taxpayer 102 andthe original tax preparer 108 may be terminated, and a new tax preparer118 may be connected with the taxpayer 102. The termination may occureither before or after this year's tax return is filed. The new taxpreparer 118 does not need to be re-sent the tax documents the taxpayer102 already uploaded, as would have been the case with conventionalsystems, as the uploaded tax documents are already securely stored onthe server. The new tax preparer 118 is able to access the tax documentsof the taxpayer 102 when the taxpayer 102 grants the new tax preparer118 access. The previous tax preparer 108 no longer has access to thetax documents of the taxpayer 102.

Importantly, the taxpayer 102 retains access to previously uploaded taxdocuments. In conventional systems, when an online portal provided bythe tax preparer 108 is used to upload tax documents and the taxpayer102 discontinues the relationship with the tax preparer 108, the taxpreparer 108 maintains access to the uploaded tax documents and thetaxpayer 102 no longer has access. This is a significant shortcoming ofconventional computer-implemented tax preparation systems, and isaddressed by the system. Conventional computer-implemented taxpreparation technology does not allow uploaded tax documents to becontrolled by the taxpayer 102. This is a problem unique tocomputer-implemented tax preparation technology, which is overcome bythe system.

In some situations, the tax preparer 108 may terminate the associationbetween the tax preparer 108 and the taxpayer 102. In these situations,the tax preparer 108 may communicate to the server (via the graphicaluser interface of the tax preparer client device 110), an indication toremove the association between the tax preparer 108 and the taxpayer102. As a result, the tax preparer 108 would be unable to have access tothe tax documents associated with the taxpayer 102 that are stored onthe server. In some embodiments, the tax preparer 108 and/or thetaxpayer 102 may unilaterally remove the association between the taxpreparer 108 and the taxpayer 102. In some embodiments, both partiesmust approve of the removal of association between the two parties.

FIG. 2 illustrates a flow diagram of a process 200 of the system. Theprocess 200 begins when the taxpayer 102 and the tax preparer 108 areconnected (step 202). In some embodiments, the taxpayer 102 and the taxpreparer 108 may be connected when an identifier corresponding to thetaxpayer 102 is associated with an identifier corresponding to the taxpreparer 108. This association may be stored in a server.

The system waits for the taxpayer 102 to upload tax documents (e.g., taxdocument 106). The tax documents may be tax documents issued by anemployer or payroll administrator of the taxpayer 102, such as a W-2, ormay be account statements of a brokerage account associated with thetaxpayer 102, or may be account statements of a bank account associatedwith the taxpayer 102, or may be receipts of tax deductible donationsmade by the taxpayer 102.

The taxpayer 102 uploads tax documents to the system (step 206). Thetaxpayer 102 may sign an agreement or complete a questionnaire providedby the tax preparer 108, via their client device and graphical userinterface, as described herein. Alternatively, the taxpayer 102 may alsoupload any signed agreements between the taxpayer 102 and the taxpreparer 108 or completed questionnaires issued by the tax preparer 108for the taxpayer 102 to complete. These documents may be provided to thesystem via the client device 104. In some embodiments, the client device104 is a smartphone, and the taxpayer 102 takes one or more photos ofthe documents using a camera of the smartphone and uploads the one ormore photos. In some embodiments, the client device 104 is a personalcomputer connected to a scanner, and the taxpayer 102 scans thedocuments and uploads the scans of the documents. When the documents areuploaded to the system, the client device 104 may send the document datato the server of the system.

The documents are analyzed using optical character recognition and/ortext layer extraction (step 208). Optical character recognition and/ortext layer extraction detects the information on the documents andallows the information to be extracted as tax document data. In someembodiments, the server performs the analysis using optical characterrecognition and/or text layer extraction.

The tax document data is automatically exported to a tax return or othertax form (step 210). The server may detect a type of data for each pieceof data in the tax document data, and the server may automaticallypopulate the corresponding field of the tax return or other tax formusing the detected tax document data. For example, a W-2 may be analyzedusing optical character recognition and/or text layer extraction, andtax document data is detected. Within the tax document data, a value of$80,000 may be detected as corresponding to the income of the taxpayer,and the value of $80,000 may be automatically populated to the taxreturn. The server may recognize certain formats of data and/orlocations of data within the tax document and/or value ranges whendetecting the type of data of each piece of data in the tax documentdata.

The tax preparer 108 may review and/or correct the data (step 212). Insome situations, data from the tax document data may be incorrectlycategorized, and the tax preparer 108 may manually adjust the tax returnusing the client device 110.

It is determined whether there are any pending requests (step 214). Insome embodiments, a prior year tax return for the taxpayer 102 isanalyzed and a list of tax return items for which tax documents shouldbe provided may be generated. In some embodiments, the prior year taxreturn is provided by the taxpayer 102. In some embodiments, the prioryear tax return is provided by a tax return preparation system. In someembodiments, the data of the prior year tax return is provided by thetax return preparation system, and the system may not need to analyzethe prior year tax return to determine the list of tax return items.

The list may be used as the basis for reminding the taxpayer 102 andrequesting tax documents from the taxpayer 102. In some embodiments, thetax preparer 108 communicates requests for data to the taxpayer 102. Insome embodiments, the tax documents may be retrieved from a third party,such as a bank or brokerage, and not from the taxpayer 102, and therequests for the data are accordingly communicated to the third party.When there are pending requests, a reminder is sent to the appropriateparty, and steps 204-212 are repeated. When there are no pendingrequests, no reminder is sent, and the tax return preparation iscompleted (step 216) and the process 200 is completed (step 218).

As described herein, the steps of process 200 (namely steps 204-212) maybe performed after the taxable year and before the deadline to file taxreturns, as the taxpayer 102 or the third party provides the taxdocuments. This is in contrast to conventional systems, whereby thetaxpayer 102 provides the tax documents at one time.

FIG. 3 illustrates a process 300 of the system illustrating a reductionof time spent by the taxpayer in responding to the tax preparerinformation requests. The process starts (step 302) and the taxpayer 102provides a prior year tax return to the system (step 304). The prioryear tax return may be provided in an electronic file format, asdescribed herein (e.g., a .pdf file sent by the taxpayer 102 via thetaxpayer client device 104 or image data associated with a picture orscan taken of the prior year tax return). In some embodiments, the taxpreparer 108 provides the prior year tax return. In some embodiments,the prior year tax return is provided by a tax return preparationsystem. In some embodiments, the data of the prior year tax return isprovided by the tax return preparation system, and the system may notneed to analyze the prior year tax return to determine the list of taxreturn items.

The system automatically identifies tax return items associated with thetaxpayer 102 based on the prior year tax return (step 306). For example,the prior year tax return may indicate that the taxpayer 102 has threetax return items: a brokerage account from Brokerage A, an interestbearing savings account from Bank B, and a mortgage with Lender C. Eachof these accounts may have activity in the current tax year for whichthe tax return is being prepared, which may be included in the taxreturn for the current tax year. The system analyzes the prior year taxreturn to identify tax return items with Brokerage A, Bank B, and LenderC. The system may automatically apply optical character recognitionand/or text layer extraction to the prior year tax return to determinethe text contained in the prior year tax return, and the text andlocation of the text may be automatically analyzed using computer logicprogrammed into the system to determine that the taxpayer 102 hasaccounts with Brokerage A, Bank B, and Lender C.

The identified accounts are listed in the graphical user interface ofthe taxpayer client device 104 (step 308). The list of identified taxreturn items may serve as a checklist for the taxpayer 102 for gatheringand providing documents throughout the year. The graphical userinterface may provide a button or icon for the taxpayer 102 to indicatethat a particular tax return items is no longer applicable. For example,if the taxpayer 102 closed the taxpayer's brokerage account fromBrokerage A, the graphical user interface may include a button labelled“NO LONGER APPLICABLE” for the taxpayer 102 to select to indicate thatthe brokerage account is no longer active. In another example, if thetaxpayer 102 did not make a charitable contribution this year, thetaxpayer 102 may indicate, using the graphical user interface, that thetax return item corresponding to the charitable contribution of theprevious year is not applicable this year. Tax return items may begrouped and displayed based on tax return item type, institution type,tax return item name, institution name, or by any other sortingcriteria.

In some embodiments, additional tax return items which were not includedin the automatically generated list may be added by the taxpayer 102using the taxpayer client device 104. These tax return items may nothave been included if there was an error in detecting the tax returnitems from the prior year tax return or if the tax return item was newlyadded this current taxable year.

The taxpayer may receive a physical paper tax document or a digital taxdocument in one of any number of file formats, such as .doc or .pdf(step 310). As described herein, the physical paper document may bescanned or a picture may be taken of the physical paper document.

The tax document is provided to the system (step 312). In someembodiments, providing the tax document to the system includes thetaxpayer client device 104 communicating the data associated with thetax document to a server associated with the system. In someembodiments, the client device 104 presents a graphical user interfaceand the taxpayer 102 identifies the digital tax document to be uploadedto the server of the system by navigating through the graphical userinterface.

The taxpayer 102 identifies a the tax return item associated with theprovided tax document (step 314). For example, if the provided taxdocument is a tax document provided by a lender with respect to amortgage, the taxpayer 102 may indicate (via the graphical userinterface), that the provided tax document is associated with the taxreturn item with Lender C. In some embodiments, the indication is madeby selecting a check box next to Lender C in a listing of tax returnitems. In other embodiments, the indication is made by selecting LenderC from a drop-down menu having a listing of tax return items.

The system automatically names the provided tax document and stores thetax document (step 316) and the process 300 ends (step 318). In someembodiments, the data associated with the tax document (e.g., a .pdffile or image data from the camera) is stored in a database of thesystem and the data is associated with a file name corresponding to thetax return item identified in step 314. The file name may identifyvarious characteristics associated with the tax document, such as thetype of tax return item, the entity administering the tax return item,the taxpayer identifier, or the tax year associated with the taxdocument, for example.

In some embodiments, the tax document is encrypted or otherwiseprotected to increase the data security before storing the tax documentby the system.

When the taxpayer 102 performs the process 300 over the course of theperiod after the tax year and before the deadline to file the tax return(as opposed to right before the deadline to file the tax return, as isconventionally the case), time and effort may be saved when the taxfiling deadline approaches. In addition, the tax preparer 108 may beable to begin working on preparing the tax return using the taxdocuments uploaded over the course of the year. Questionnaires sent bythe tax preparer 108 may be uploaded by the taxpayer 102 aftercompletion, and if the taxpayer 102 switches to a different tax preparer118, as illustrated in FIG. 1B, the new tax preparer 118 may be able touse the information from the completed questionnaire for the originaltax preparer 108, and the taxpayer 102 may not have to complete a secondquestionnaire from the new tax preparer 118.

In some embodiments, the list of tax return items generated based on theprior year tax return may be used as a checklist in process 200 of FIG.2 at step 214. The list of tax return items may be used to generate alist of requests which need to be fulfilled with corresponding documentsfor the current tax year. For example, when the list of tax return itemsindicates the taxpayer 102 has tax return items for Brokerage A, Bank B,and Lender C, there may be requests generated by the system for each ofthese tax return items. When a tax document is received by the systemcorresponding to Brokerage A, the request may be removed from the list.The taxpayer 102 may view the outstanding list of tax return items forwhich tax documents should be provided (e.g., Bank B and Lender C) inthe graphical user interface provided by the taxpayer client device 104.In some embodiments, the system periodically automatically determineswhich tax documents are outstanding based on the list of tax returnitems, and sends a reminder to the taxpayer 102 and/or the tax preparer108. The reminder may be in the form of an automatically generatede-mail, an automatically generated text message, an automaticallygenerated notification which appears on a smartphone application, anautomatically generated audible alert played by the smartphone, or anyother form of notification.

FIG. 4 illustrates features of software associated with the system,which streamlines the entire process of preparing and filing a tax form,such as a tax return. Conventionally, many separate and differentapplications have been used in the process of preparing and filing a taxreturn. Form completion software may be used for the taxpayer to fillout a form or questionnaire, an electronic signature service may be usedfor the taxpayer to electronically sign a prepared form, an onlineportal may be used for the taxpayer to provide documents to the taxpreparer, an electronic messaging system (e.g., text message or email)may be used to communicate between the taxpayer and the tax preparer,E-File Authorization software may be used for the taxpayer to provideauthorization to the tax preparer to file on the taxpayer's behalf, anda payment service may be used for the taxpayer to pay the tax preparerfor services rendered. These disparate and disconnected collection ofsoftware and services requires each party to keep track of numerouslogin identifiers and passwords, as well as requiring each party to befamiliar with the different user interfaces of each. In addition, inthese conventional systems, having to log in to various pieces ofsoftware discourages taxpayers from timely providing information to thetax preparer and also discourages communication between the taxpayer andthe tax preparer.

For example, when a tax preparer would like to remind the taxpayer toupload a particular tax document, the tax preparer logs in to anelectronic messaging system, sends a message to the taxpayer, thetaxpayer logs in to the electronic messaging system, reads the reminderto upload the tax document, the taxpayer scans the tax document with ascanner and logs in to the online portal of the tax preparer to uploadthe tax document, the taxpayer then goes back to the electronicmessaging system, informs the tax preparer that the tax document hasbeen uploaded. This process involves multiple steps of logging off andon between multiple accounts and multiple services, and at any point,the taxpayer could be discouraged from continuing, knowing that if thetaxpayer simply provides the tax document in paper form to the taxpreparer at some later time closer to the tax return filing deadline,the taxpayer would not have to perform the multiple steps required toelectronically send the tax document to the tax preparer at the currenttime.

The system described herein allows the taxpayer 102 to use a singlepiece of software having a graphical user interface. The software may beimplemented on the taxpayer client device 104, the tax preparer clientdevice 110, and a server 400. Using the single piece of software, thetaxpayer 102 may view tax documents, sign tax documents, uploadrequested tax documents, download tax documents or prepared tax returns,review a prepared tax return, sign an E-File Authorization form, pay thetax preparer invoice, and make tax payments to tax authorities. Havingall of the features in the software application presented using a commongraphical user interface increases the convenience to the taxpayer 102and the tax preparer 108. In addition, the process of preparing a taxreturn is streamlined and made more efficient and accurate, as fewerseparate applications results in fewer opportunities for errors to bemade.

Further, the communications between the taxpayer 102 and the taxpreparer are secure and encrypted. Tax documents may contain many itemsof sensitive information, so data security in the communications betweenthe taxpayer 102 and the tax preparer 108 are improved. Conventionally,a password to a shared remote database may be shared, or a message maybe sent via email, or a payment may be made using an online paymentinterface. However, these may not be as secure as the system describedherein, which secures the data being transmitted back and forth betweenthe taxpayer 102 and the tax preparer 108. The data may be secured usinga one or more of password protection, data encryption, or two-factorauthentication.

The server 400 includes a signature unit 404 configured to facilitatesigning of a form by the taxpayer 102. The signature unit 404 is incommunication with the tax preparer client device 110 and the taxpayerclient device 104. The signature unit 404 may receive, from the taxpreparer client device 110, a document to be signed by the taxpayer 102.The signature unit 404 may send the document to be signed by thetaxpayer 102 to the taxpayer client device 104. The taxpayer clientdevice 104 may display the document using the graphical user interfaceof the taxpayer client device 104. The graphical user interface may alsohave a means for receiving a signature or input from the taxpayer 102,such as a touchscreen or a keyboard or an electronic pen and electronicpad. The taxpayer signature is received by the taxpayer client device104. Taxpayer signature data is communicated from the taxpayer clientdevice 104 to the server 400. In some embodiments, the system requiresthe taxpayer signature to be formatted in a particular data structure,and the taxpayer client device 104 transforms or manipulates thereceived taxpayer signature into the taxpayer signature data to beprocessed by the system.

The server 400 also includes a document upload unit 406. The documentupload unit 406 is configured to receive a tax document from thetaxpayer client device 104, as described herein. In some embodiments,the system requires the tax document to be formatted in a particulardata structure, and the taxpayer client device 104 transforms ormanipulates the tax document into tax document data to be processed bythe system.

The server 400 also includes a messaging unit 408. The messaging unit408 is configured to facilitate communications between the taxpayerclient device 104 and the tax preparer client device 110. The messagesreceived from the taxpayer client device 104 and/or the tax preparerclient device 110 may be secured. In some embodiments, the messages aresecured by the client devices and the server 400.

The server 400 also includes an E-File authorization unit 410. TheE-File authorization unit 410 is configured to receive an E-Fileauthorization from the taxpayer 102 via the taxpayer client device 104.The taxpayer client device 104 may display (via the graphical userinterface) a prepared tax return for the taxpayer 102 to review. Thetaxpayer client device 104 may receive (via the graphical userinterface) an E-File authorization from the taxpayer 102. The taxpayer102 may provide the authorization using an input unit of the taxpayerclient device 104, such as a touchpad or a keypad. E-File authorizationdata is communicated from the taxpayer client device 104 to the server400. In some embodiments, the system requires the E-File authorizationto be formatted in a particular data structure, and the taxpayer clientdevice 104 automatically transforms or manipulates the received E-Fileauthorization into the E-File authorization data to be used by thesystem. The E-File authorization unit 410 may also obtain any other datapertinent to the E-File authorization process, including obtaining andstoring the Internet protocol (IP) address of the taxpayer client device104. The IP address of the taxpayer client device 104 may be laterverified.

The server 400 also includes a payment unit 412. The payment unit 412 isconfigured to receive payment information (e.g., a credit card number orchecking account number) from the taxpayer 102 via the taxpayer clientdevice 104. The taxpayer 102 may provide the payment information usingan input unit of the taxpayer client device 104, such as a touchpad or akeypad. Payment data is communicated from the taxpayer client device 104to the server 400. In some embodiments, the system requires the paymentinformation to be formatted in a particular data structure, and thetaxpayer client device 104 automatically transforms or manipulates thereceived payment information into the payment data to be used by thesystem.

The server 400 may also include a tax return preparation unit 414configured to automatically prepare a completed tax return based on thetax documents stored by the server 400, as described herein. Automaticpreparation of the tax return may be initiated by the tax preparer 108.In other embodiments, the tax return preparation unit 414 is not a partof the server and is a part of a separate system for automaticallypreparing tax returns using the data collected and maintained by thesystem described herein.

The server 400 may also include a document sharing unit 416 configuredto share any of the data described herein, such as tax documents andautomatically prepared tax returns, for example, with a third party. Thethird party may be a financial advisor or a relative, for example.

The server 400 may also include a document download unit 418 configuredto download any of the data described herein to the taxpayer clientdevice 104 or the tax preparer client device 110.

Each of the signature unit 404, the document upload unit 406, themessaging unit 408, the E-File authorization unit 410, the payment unit412, and the tax return preparation unit 414 may be implemented usingone or more processors and one or more non-volatile memory. Each of thesignature unit 404, the document upload unit 406, the messaging unit408, the E-File authorization unit 410, the payment unit 412, and thetax return preparation unit 414 may be special-purpose electronicdevices programmed for the purposes described herein.

FIG. 5A illustrates a process 500 of the taxpayer 102 and the taxpreparer 108 during the tax year. The tax preparer 108 posts a taxpreparation fee invoice to the system (step 502). The tax preparer 108also posts the estimated tax payments schedule to the system (step 504).The tax preparer 108 may communicate these liabilities (e.g., taxpreparation fee invoice and the estimated payments schedule) from thetax preparer client device 110 to a server of the system. The payment ofthe liabilities may result in deductions or credits for the taxpayer 102in the next year's tax return. In some embodiments, the liabilities areautomatically identified and generated based on automatic preparation ofa tax return by an automatic tax return preparation system for thetaxpayer 102 for the current tax year.

The taxpayer 102 may view the liabilities on the taxpayer client device104 via a graphical user interface. The graphical user interface mayinclude a list of all liabilities, and an indication for each listedliability of whether the liability has been paid.

The taxpayer 102 may make all of the payments to the tax preparer 108via the system (step 506), using the payment unit 412. In someembodiments, the taxpayer 102 may make tax payments to the appropriatetaxing authority using the system as well. Taxing authorities mayinclude the Internal Revenue Service, a state tax board, or local citiesor municipalities, for example. The system automatically generatesliability payment documentation indicating that the particular liabilityhas been paid. The liability payment documents are saved in the serverof the system and associated with the taxpayer 102. The payments ofthese liabilities may be used as a deduction or credit the following taxyear. In some embodiments, the liability payment documents are part ofthe tax document collection data unit, and the tax document collectiondata unit is used by an automatic tax return preparation system toautomatically prepare a tax return in the next year.

As shown in FIG. 5B, as the deadline to file tax returns approaches thenext year, the tax preparer 108 does not have to request the documentssaved to the server of the system in step 508, as the tax preparer 108already has access to these documents. These documents may provideevidence for a deduction or credit to be claimed by the tax preparer 108for the taxpayer 102. By having these documents already saved by theserver of the system, the tax preparer 108 does not have to rely on thetaxpayer 102 to produce these documents, as the taxpayer 102 may havemisplaced them. In addition, if the tax preparer is changed to adifferent individual or organization, the new tax preparer may not havethe documents generated by the original tax preparer in steps 502 and504.

In some embodiments, the tax return item list shown in the graphicaluser interface of the taxpayer client device 104 includes liabilities,and when payment is made for a particular liability and the liabilitypayment documentation is received by the system, the particularliability may have an indication indicating that the liability has beenpaid.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example system. The system 600 includes a clientdevice 104 associated with the taxpayer 102, a client device 110associated with the tax preparer 108, and a server 602.

The client device 104 associated with the taxpayer 102 includes aprocessor 604, a memory 606, a camera/scanner 608, an input unit 610,and a display 612. The processor 604 may be configured to executeinstructions stored in the memory 606, which may be a non-transitorymemory. The instructions executed by the processor 604 may includesoftware associated with the system. The processor 604 may be one ormore processors. The processor 604 is specifically and speciallyconfigured to perform the operations described herein, and in someembodiments, the client device 104 (in particular, the processor 604) isa special purpose machine for performing the operations describedherein.

The camera/scanner 608 is configured to detect image data associatedwith a document, such as a tax document. The image data may be a digitalrepresentation of the document. The input unit 610 may be a keyboard, atouchscreen, a microphone, or any other device configured to receive aninput from the taxpayer 102. The display 612 may display a graphicaluser interface of the software executed by the processor 604.

The memory 606 may store image data detected by the camera/scanner 608.The memory 606 may also store information associated with the taxpayer102, such as an identifier used by the server 602 to identify thetaxpayer 102. The memory 606 may also store tax document data and prioryear tax return data.

The client device 110 associated with the tax preparer 108 includes aprocessor 614, a memory 616, an input unit 618, and a display 620. Theprocessor 614 may be configured to execute instructions stored in thememory 616, which may be a non-transitory memory. The instructionsexecuted by the processor 614 may include software associated with thesystem. The processor 614 may be one or more processors. The processor614 is specifically and specially configured to perform the operationsdescribed herein, and in some embodiments, the client device 110 (inparticular, the processor 614) is a special purpose machine forperforming the operations described herein.

The input unit 618 may be a keyboard, a touchscreen, a microphone, orany other device configured to receive an input from the tax preparer108. The display 620 may display a graphical user interface of thesoftware executed by the processor 614.

The memory 616 may store information associated with the tax preparer108, such as an identifier used by the server 602 to identify the taxpreparer 108.

The server 602 includes a memory 622 configured to store data associatedwith the taxpayer 102. The data may include tax document data associatedwith the taxpayer 102, or account data associated with the taxpayer 102.The data stored in memory 622 may be encrypted and access to the datamay be limited to those with sufficient credentials.

The server 602 includes a processor 624 configured to executeinstructions stored in memory 622. The processor 624 may be configuredto receive a tax document data file from the client device 104associated with the taxpayer 102. The processor 624 may be configured togenerate or create a tax document collection data unit 630 having one ormore tax documents for a particular taxpayer. A tax document may be anydocument related to the preparation of a tax return, such as an accountstatement issued by an institution, a pay statement issued by anemployer or a payroll management company, a record of a tax deduction, aquestionnaire or other information provided by the taxpayer 102 for thepreparation of the tax return. The tax document collection data unit 630may be used by a tax preparation system (e.g., tax return preparationunit 414) to automatically prepare tax returns for the taxpayer. Theprocessor 624 may be one or more processors. The processor 624 isspecifically and specially configured to perform the operationsdescribed herein, and in some embodiments, the server 602 (inparticular, the processor 624) is a special purpose machine forperforming the operations described herein.

Memory 622 may store a plurality of tax document collection data units630, as shown in FIG. 6. The data stored in memory 622 in the taxdocument collection data unit 630 may be stored in a tax documentcollection data format. The tax document collection data format may be adata format specifically designed for a tax preparation system toreceive the tax document data and automatically prepare one or more taxreturns. The tax document collection data unit 630 may include taxpayerdata associated with the taxpayer 102, such as a user identifier. Thetax document collection data unit 630 may also include a plurality ofdata cells or data regions containing tax document data for one or moretax documents. The tax document data in the plurality of cells of thetax document collection data format may be formatted in a structurewhere the tax preparation system is able to process the tax documentdata in a more efficient and accurate manner than manually entering inthe data to the tax preparation software. In this way, the computingspeed, efficiency, and accuracy of the computer system performing theautomatic tax return preparation is improved.

In some embodiments, the server 602 also performs the functions of theautomatic tax return preparation system. In some embodiments, the taxdocument collection data format is a unique and novel data format whichmay only be identified and interpreted by a particular tax preparationsystem. In many embodiments, a human being viewing the raw data of thetax document collection data format is unable to interpret the values orcontents of the data stored within the tax document collection dataformat.

The processor 624 may control access to the memory 622. In particular,the processor 624 may control access to the tax document collection dataunits stored in memory 622. For example, the processor 624 may controlaccess of a particular tax preparer 108 to access the tax documentcollection data unit 630 associated with taxpayer 102. In someembodiments, the access of a given tax preparer to the tax documentcollection data unit 630 associated with a given taxpayer is stored inan access table in memory 622. The access table may include pairings oftaxpayers and tax preparers. The access table may be updated by thetaxpayer 102 or the tax preparer 108. In some embodiments, a taxpreparer may not be associated with a taxpayer in the access tablewithout confirmation from the taxpayer. In some embodiments, a taxpreparer may not be associated with a taxpayer without confirmation fromthe tax preparer. In some embodiments, termination of the associationmay require confirmation from the other party, and in other embodiments,termination of the association may not require confirmation from theother party and may be performed unilaterally.

When a new tax preparer replaces a previous tax preparer, the accesstable may be updated. In addition, the tax document collection data unit630 may be reconfigured to ensure the previous tax preparer is unable toaccess or view the data in the tax document collection data unit. Insome embodiments, the reconfiguration includes encrypting the data usinga new key known to only the taxpayer and the new tax preparer.

The tax document collection data units may be stored in memory 622 localto the server 602 or may be stored in a remote storage 626, such ascloud based storage. In addition, prior year tax returns for a pluralityof different taxpayers may be stored in memory. In addition, any datadescribed herein being received by or used by the server of the systemmay be stored in memory 622.

The processor 624 may obtain documents to be included in the taxdocument collection data unit 630 from a third party, such as a bank, apayroll administrator, a brokerage, a lender, a financial institution, autility service provider, or any provider of tax documents, for example.The third party data associated with the third party document may bestored in a third party server 628, and the taxpayer 102 may provideaccess to the third party data. The processor 624 may periodicallyrequest documents from the third party server 628, and the processor 624may analyze the received documents to automatically determine whetherthe received documents are pertinent to preparation of a tax return.When the received documents are determined to not be pertinent topreparation of a tax return, the received documents may be deleted frommemory 622. The received documents may be determined to be pertinent topreparation of the tax return based on the metadata of the receiveddocuments, the contents of the documents (determined via opticalcharacter recognition and/or text layer extraction), and/or the dateassociated with the documents. When the received documents aredetermined to be pertinent to preparation of a tax return, the receiveddocuments may be processed and saved in a tax document collection dataunit 630 associated with the taxpayer 102.

FIGS. 7A-7C illustrate a flow diagram of a process of automaticallyretrieving tax data from a third party server 628. The process 700beings (step 702). The taxpayer 102 may provide the server 602credentials (or authentication information) required to access thetaxpayer's data on the third party server 628.

The processor 624 of the server 602 determines whether the account typeassociated with the data of the third party server 628 is finance (step704). The account type may be determined based on the organizationassociated with the third party server 628, or metadata associated withthe retrieved document. When the account type is not a finance type orother tax return related type, the document is discarded (step 712). Insome embodiments, the document is erased from memory 622 and any memoryassociated with the server 602.

When the account type is a finance type, the document type is determinedby the processor 624 of the server 602 (step 706). The document type maybe determined based on the metadata associated with the document orbased on values detected within the document. When the document type isnot one that is needed for tax return preparation, the document isdiscarded (step 712). The system may determine whether the document isneeded for tax preparation based on metadata and/or content of thedocument and/or the date of the document.

When the document type is one that is needed for tax return preparation,the document sub-type is determined (step 708). The document sub-typemay be determined based on the metadata associated with the document orbased on values detected within the document. When the document sub-typeis not a tax sub-type, the document is discarded (step 712).

When the document sub-type is a tax sub-type, the account sub-type isdetermined (step 710). When the account sub-type is not a checkingaccount, a savings, account, an investment account, a mortgage account,a payroll account, or a health savings account, the document isdiscarded (step 712).

When the account sub-type is a checking account, a savings, account, aninvestment account, a mortgage account, a payroll account, or a healthsavings account, it is determined whether the account sub-type is apayroll account (step 714). When the account sub-type is a payrollaccount, it is determined whether the name associated with the payrollaccount matches the name of the taxpayer 102 (step 724).

When the name does not match, the document is added to a respectivecategory in memory 622 (step 720). In some embodiments, the document istransformed to be stored in the tax document collection data unit 630associated with the taxpayer 102. When the name does match, the documentis assigned to a matching requested item (step 722). In someembodiments, the document is transformed to be stored in the taxdocument collection data unit 630 associated with the taxpayer 102.

When the account sub-type is not a payroll account (as determined instep 714), it is determined whether there is an account number present(step 716). When there is no account number present, the document isadded to a respective category in memory 622 (step 720). In someembodiments, the document is transformed to be stored in the taxdocument collection data unit 630 associated with the taxpayer 102.

When there is an account number present, it is determined whether thereis a requested or outstanding item with the same account number (step718). When there is no requested or outstanding item, the document isadded to a respective category in memory 622 (step 720). In someembodiments, the document is transformed to be stored in the taxdocument collection data unit 630 associated with the taxpayer 102.

When the document is either assigned to a matching requested item oradded to a category, the process 700 ends (step 726).

As each tax document is collected, the tax document may be compared to alist of outstanding tax return items from a prior year tax return, andwhen there is a match, the list of outstanding tax return items becomesmodified to show that the tax document has been received for this year.In this way, the process 300 is automated, and the taxpayer 102 may haveto provide fewer tax documents using the taxpayer client device 104.

When there is no match, a new tax return item may be added to the listof tax return items, and the unmatched tax document may be associatedwith the new tax return item.

FIGS. 8A-8C illustrate a flow diagram of a process performed by thesystem. The process 800 begins (step 802) and the tax preparer 108 addsone or more taxpayers to the system via a client management screen of agraphical user interface (step 804). More specifically, the clientdevice 110 associated with the tax preparer 108 communicates to theserver 602 an identification of one or more taxpayers who may bepotential clients of the tax preparer 108. Basic information of eachtaxpayer may be provided, such as name and email address.

The tax preparer 108 sets up templates (step 806). The templates mayinclude an invitation template, a template letter asking the taxpayer toreview the attached document and sign, a template questionnaire for thetaxpayer to fill out, and a document request list template. Thetemplates may have a default design with default text, and the designand text may be capable of being edited by the tax preparer 108.

An invitation to use the system is sent to the taxpayer 102 (step 808).In particular, the invitation is communicated by the server 602 to theclient device 104 of the taxpayer 102.

The taxpayer 102 may sign up for the system (step 810). The taxpayer mayprovide basic information, such as name and email address. The taxpayer102 may send an invitation to a tax preparer to use the system (step812).

The taxpayer 102 receives the invitation to use the system (step 814).The invitation may be an electronic invitation embodied by an email witha link to register for the system in the email. The taxpayer 102 clicksthe link in the invitation (step 816) and accepts the connection requestfrom the tax preparer 108 (step 820).

In some embodiments, when the taxpayer 102 clicks on the link in theinvitation and sets up an account, the link is associated with the taxpreparer 108 and the tax preparer 108 is automatically connected to thetaxpayer 102. The connection between the tax preparer 108 and thetaxpayer 102 may be reflected in the access table stored in memory 622.

The tax preparer 108 may send letters, a questionnaire, or any otherdocument to the taxpayer 102 for review or completion (step 818). Oncethe tax preparer 108 sends letters or questionnaires, or once thetaxpayer accepts the connection request, the process proceeds to thetaxpayer 102 receiving notifications for requested items (step 822). Thenotifications may be a text-based notification in the form of an email,text message, or smartphone notification, for example, or may be anaudible notification in the form of a ring or chime or other soundemitted from a computer or smartphone of the taxpayer 102.

The taxpayer 102 fills out the questionnaire (step 832), signs andreviews the CPA letters (step 834), and uploads documents (step 836) andexchanges messages with the tax preparer 108 (step 838).Correspondingly, the tax preparer 108 updates and reviews thequestionnaire (step 824), requests that one or more letters be reviewedand signed (step 826), requests documents from the taxpayer or uploadstax documents on behalf of the taxpayer (step 828), and exchangesmessages with the taxpayer 102 (step 830).

A virtual and computer-based tax document storage unit (e.g., SPbinderor another application that enables tax documents to be viewed, edited,downloaded, and/or managed) used in preparing an automated tax return iscreated (step 840) and the taxpayer 102 may provide additional documents(step 842). In addition the tax preparer 108 may provide additionaldocuments (step 844).

The virtual and computer-based tax document storage unit is provided toan automated tax return preparation system (e.g., tax return preparationunit 414). The automated tax return preparation system may be configuredto only receive tax documents in the form of the virtual andcomputer-based tax document storage unit. The automated tax returnpreparation system generates a completed tax return, and provides it tothe tax preparer 108. The tax preparer 108 may review the completed taxreturn, and upload the completed tax return for the taxpayer to review(step 846).

The taxpayer 102 may review the drafted tax return (step 850). The taxpreparer 108 may upload an E-File authorization form (step 848) and thetaxpayer 102 may sign the E-File authorization form (step 852). Steps848 and 852 may be performed using the E-File authorization unit 410.

The taxpayer 102 may review a federal and state summary and make anypayments (step 854) and the process ends (step 856). Any payments mademay be stored by the system for use the following tax year, asillustrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B. All of the steps of process 800 may beperformed using the client devices 104 and 110 and a graphical userinterface provided by the client device 104 and 110.

Any systems or software described herein configured to automaticallyprepare a tax return may be responsible for automatically preparing theentire tax return, or may be responsible for automatically preparing aportion of the tax return, where the remaining portion of the tax returnis to be completed by an individual, such as the tax preparer 108.

Exemplary embodiments of the methods/systems have been disclosed in anillustrative style. Accordingly, the terminology employed throughoutshould be read in a non-limiting manner. Although minor modifications tothe teachings herein will occur to those well versed in the art, itshall be understood that what is intended to be circumscribed within thescope of the patent warranted hereon are all such embodiments thatreasonably fall within the scope of the advancement to the art herebycontributed, and that that scope shall not be restricted, except inlight of the appended claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: receiving, by a server andfrom a taxpayer device, digital tax information comprising informationabout a taxpayer, tax return items, tax data and image data from a taxdocument; providing, by the server, a file name to each of the taxreturn items of the digital tax information, wherein the file nameidentifies characteristics of the tax return item of the digital taxinformation including at least one of a type of tax return item, anentity administering the tax return item, a taxpayer identifier, or atax year associated with the tax return item; determining, by theserver, that the digital tax information is relevant to the taxpayerbased on metadata and content obtained from at least one of opticalcharacter recognition or text layer extraction of the digital taxinformation from the tax document; storing, by the server, the digitaltax information and the file name of each tax return item of the digitaltax information in data regions in a tax document collection data unitof a memory and in a tax document collection data format usable by a taxpreparation system, wherein the tax document collection data formatenables the tax preparation system to receive the digital taxinformation and automatically prepare one or more tax returns;receiving, by the server, a first connection request from a first taxpreparer device; transmitting, by the server, the first connectionrequest to the GUI of the taxpayer device; receiving, by the server, anacceptance of the first connection request from the GUI of the taxpayerdevice; associating, by the server, the taxpayer identifier of thetaxpayer device with a tax preparer identifier of the first tax preparerdevice; storing, by the server in an access table, the association ofthe taxpayer identifier of the taxpayer device with a tax prepareridentifier of the first tax preparer device; providing, by the serverand to the first tax preparer device, access to the digital taxinformation and the tax data in the tax document collection data unit;receiving, by the server, a restriction request from at least one of theGUI of the taxpayer device or the first tax preparer device to restrictthe first tax preparer device from accessing the digital taxinformation; disassociating, by the server in the access table, thetaxpayer identifier of the taxpayer device with the tax prepareridentifier of the first tax preparer device to restrict the first taxpreparer device from accessing the digital tax information in the taxdocument collection data unit; receiving, by the server, a secondconnection request from at least one of the GUI of the taxpayer deviceor a second tax preparer device; transmitting, by the server, the secondconnection request to the GUI of the taxpayer device; receiving, by theserver, an acceptance of the second connection request from the GUI ofthe taxpayer device; associating, by the server in the access table, thetaxpayer identifier of the taxpayer device with a tax prepareridentifier of the second tax preparer device; providing, by the serverand to the second tax preparer device, access to the digital taxinformation in the tax document collection data unit; extracting, by theserver, the tax data from the digital tax information by using at leastone of the optical character recognition or the text layer extraction;detecting, by the server, in the tax data a type of the tax data, aformat of the tax data, a location of the tax data within the taxdocument and value ranges of the tax data, wherein the tax preparationsystem recognizes and interprets the tax data based on the format of thetax data being in the tax document collection data format; determining,by the server, that the taxpayer has an account at a financialinstitution based on the type of data, the format of data, the locationof data and the value ranges; determining, by the server, that the taxdata includes activity on accounts in a current tax year such that thetax data is used in the current tax year; obtaining, by the server, alist of prior tax return items from a prior year tax return of thetaxpayer; grouping, by the server, the list of the prior tax returnitems based on at least one of tax return item type, institution type,tax return item name, or institution name; providing, by the server andto the taxpayer device, the list of the prior tax return items fordisplay on a graphical user interface (GUI) of the taxpayer device;providing, by the server and to the taxpayer device on the GUI, areminder to obtain the tax return items for a current year thatcorrespond to the list of the prior tax return items, in order tosupplement the digital tax information; receiving, by the server andfrom a third party system, third party digital tax information;determining, by the server, whether the third party digital taxinformation is relevant to preparing a tax return in the current taxyear based on at least one of account type, account number, name,document type, organization, metadata, values, content or date of thethird party digital tax information; deleting, by the server, the thirdparty digital tax information, in response to the third party digitaltax information not being relevant; saving, by the server, the thirdparty digital tax information, in response to the third party digitaltax information being relevant; assigning, by the server, the thirdparty digital tax information to at least one of a tax category or to amatching tax item on the list of prior tax return items from the prioryear tax return of the taxpayer; adding, by the server, the third partydigital tax information to the list of the prior tax return items, inresponse to the third party digital tax information not matching to theprior tax return items on the list of the prior tax return items;populating, by the server, a field of a tax form with a subset of thetax data and the account at the financial institution, based on the taxdata used in the current tax year, the type of data, the format of data,the location of data and the value ranges; generating, by the serverusing an automated tax return preparation system, a completed tax returnfrom the digital tax information and the tax form; and transmitting, bythe server, the completed tax return to a first tax preparer device. 2.The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving, by the server andfrom the first tax preparer device, at least one of an engagement letteror a tax questionnaire; and transmitting, by the server and to the GUIof the taxpayer device, at least one of the engagement letter or the taxquestionnaire.
 3. The method of claim 2, further comprising receiving,by the server and from the GUI of the taxpayer device, at least one ofan adjustment of the tax data or an adjustment of the field of the taxform.
 4. The method of claim 3, further comprising receiving, by theserver and from the first tax preparer device, a request for additionalof at least one of the digital tax information or the tax data.
 5. Themethod of claim 4, further comprising: providing, by the server and tothe GUI of the taxpayer device, a button next to the list of the priortax return items and next to the financial institution; and receiving,by the server and from the GUI of the taxpayer device, a selection ofthe button indicating that one or more of the prior tax return items orthe financial institution is no longer applicable in the current taxyear; and removing, by the server, the item from the list of the priortax return items, in response to obtaining the tax return item for thecurrent year that corresponds to the prior tax return item.
 6. Themethod of claim 5, wherein the obtaining the list of the prior taxreturn items comprises obtaining the list of the prior tax return itemsby automatically detecting the tax return items from the prior year taxreturn.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the obtaining the list of theprior tax return items comprises obtaining the list of the prior taxreturn items from a tax return preparation system.
 8. The method ofclaim 7, further comprising receiving, by the server and from the GUI ofthe taxpayer device, an additional tax return item to add to the list ofthe prior tax return items.
 9. The method of claim 8, further comprisingreceiving, by the server and from the GUI of the taxpayer device, aselection of the financial institution to associate with the digital taxinformation.
 10. The method of claim 9, further comprising providing, bythe server and to the taxpayer device, functionality for at least one ofsigning a tax form, signing an E-File Authorization form for the taxform, paying the tax preparer invoice, formatting the digital taxinformation in the tax document collection data format usable by the taxpreparation system or making tax payments to tax authorities.
 11. Themethod of claim 10, further comprising obtaining and storing, by theserver, an internet protocol (IP) address of the taxpayer device forlater verification.
 12. The method of claim 11, further comprisingreceiving, by the server via a payment unit, payment information fromthe GUI of the taxpayer device.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein aformat of the payment information is transformed into the tax documentcollection data format usable by the tax preparation system, dataformat, data cells and data regions acceptable for processing by thepayment unit of the server.
 14. The method of claim 13, furthercomprising sharing, by the server using a document sharing unit, atleast one of the digital tax information or a tax return with a thirdparty.
 15. The method of claim 14, further comprising downloading, bythe server using a document download unit, at least one of the digitaltax information or a tax return to at least one of the taxpayer device,the first tax preparer device or the second tax preparer device.
 16. Themethod of claim 15, further comprising: receiving, by the server andfrom the tax preparer, at least one of a tax preparation fee invoice orestimated tax payment schedule; and providing, by the server and to theGUI of the taxpayer device, at least one of the tax preparation feeinvoice or the estimated tax payment schedule, wherein the at least oneof a tax preparation fee invoice or the estimated tax payment scheduleare automatically generated by a tax return preparation system.
 17. Themethod of claim 16, further comprising: providing, by the server to theGUI of the taxpayer device, an indication that at least a portion hasbeen paid of at least one of the tax preparation fee invoice or theestimated tax payment schedule; and generating, by the server, liabilitypayment documentation indicating that at least the portion has been paidof at least one of the tax preparation fee invoice or the estimated taxpayment schedule, wherein the liability payment documentation is usedfor a tax return for the next year.
 18. The method of claim 17, whereinthe restricting the first tax preparer device from accessing the digitaltax information further comprises at least one of reconfiguring the taxdocument collection data unit or encrypting the digital tax informationwith a new key.
 19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:receiving, by the server and from the first tax preparer device, anidentification of one or more taxpayer devices associated with the firsttax preparer device; transmitting, by the server and to the GUI of thetaxpayer device, a software link of an invitation to join, wherein thesoftware link is associated with the first tax preparer device;receiving, by the server and from the GUI of the taxpayer device, anacceptance of the software link of the invitation to join; associating,by the server in the access table, the taxpayer device with the firsttax preparer device; and receiving, by the server, a request from thefirst tax preparer device for the taxpayer device with at least one of aletter to review and sign the tax document, a questionnaire or adocument request list.